Robert Randisi - It Was a Very Bad Year

‘It’s a floor plan,’ I said.

‘Of what?’ Jerry asked.

‘Harrah’s, in Lake Tahoe.’ That sonofabitch, I thought.

There was one more drawer to search, at the bottom. Jerry opened it while I was still staring at the floor plan, realizing the implications. It even included a drawing of the parking lots.

‘Mr G.?’

‘Yeah?’

‘You better have a look.’

‘What?’

I bent down and saw what he meant. There were some reels of film in the drawer. I took one out, and unfurled a length of it, holding it up to the light.

‘Jesus,’ I said, ‘this opens up a whole new can of worms, Jerry.’

‘Stag films?’

I nodded. We took another roll and had a look. Same thing. Men and women doing things to each other you should do at home, or in a hotel, or in a closet, but not on film.

‘These look like good quality, Mr G.,’ Jerry said. ‘Maybe pro.’

‘There’s a lot more to Irwin than meets the eye, Jerry,’ I said. I held a roll of film in one hand, and the Harrah’s floor plan in the other. ‘We been had, Jerry.’ I waved the floor plan folder at him. ‘Looks like Irwin was not only involved with the kidnapping. He may have planned the whole thing.’

Barney Irwin was a kidnapper, and a producer of stag films. I wondered how many young girls who came to him for portraits ended up on film with their clothes off?

‘What do we do?’ Jerry asked.

‘There’s a lot of stuff here, Jerry,’ I said. ‘I doubt he’d want to leave it behind. In fact, I doubt that he’s even leavin’ town.’

‘He ain’t as scared, or as stupid, as we thought,’ Jerry said.

‘No, he’s still stupid. Or else why leave this stuff lyin’ around?’

‘It ain’t lyin’ around,’ Jerry said. ‘It’s under lock and key.’

‘Still,’ I said, ‘this kidnap stuff, and the note I found in his desk drawer. . not smart.’

‘OK,’ Jerry said, ‘but he’s tougher than we thought. He tried to have us both killed, tried to set us up again in that warehouse.’

‘He’s still in town,’ I said. ‘Maybe the Rienzas know where.’

‘How do we find out?’

‘We ask ’em.’

‘I hope that don’t mean goin’ to a police station?’ Jerry said.

‘No,’ I said, ‘I’ll just call Hargrove. Come on, let’s lock up and get out of here.’

The combination lock wouldn’t close again, but we managed to hang it on the door so it looked locked. Only Irwin, when he came to get inside, would know.

As we went down the back stairs I said, ‘We’re gonna need somebody to sit on this place and watch for Irwin to come back.’

‘Not me.’

‘No,’ I said, ‘I’ll ask Danny to find somebody.’

We took the kidnap folder and a roll of film with us. I put them in the back seat while Jerry got behind the wheel.

‘Where to?’ he asked.

‘Phone.’

‘Pay phone?’

I thought a moment, then said, ‘My house.’

‘Is that smart? I mean, what if Irwin sends somebody after us again?’

‘You’ll take care of ’em.’

‘As long as there’s not more than three.’

When we walked into my house Jerry got a beer from the frig while I called Danny.

‘Yeah, I got a guy who can sit on the place,’ he said, after I told him everything we found. ‘Stag films, huh? I hate those things. Most of the girls look strung out on somethin’.’

‘For all we know Irwin’s dealin’ in drugs, too. The guy’s real good at playin’ dumb.’

‘Well, maybe he’s a pro when it comes to fuck films and drugs, but he’s still an amateur when it comes to kidnapping.’

‘Ain’t that the truth. Listen, give your guy all my numbers and have him call as soon as he sees Irwin.’

‘I’ll have him tail him, and then call.’

‘OK. Thanks, Danny.’

I hung up, called Hargrove at his office. He was there.

‘You’re running out of time, Eddie.’

‘What about the Rienzas?’ I asked. ‘How are they doin’ on time?’

‘Better than you,’ he said. ‘They’re out.’

‘What?’

‘Hit the streets hours ago.’

‘How did that happen?’

‘Their alibi checked out.’

‘You said yourself about alibis-’

‘Hey, if it checks out, it checks out,’ he said. ‘There’s nothing I can do about it. I had to cut them loose.’

‘That’s great.’

‘Watch your back,’ Hargrove said. ‘I think they were pretty mad at you.’

I hung up.

‘So?’ Jerry asked. ‘They’re out?’

‘Yup.’

‘Want a beer?’

‘Yup.’

He tossed me a can. I caught it one handed.

‘Now what?’ he asked.

‘I don’t know, Jerry,’ I said. ‘We got the word out on Irwin, and we got his storage unit covered. I seriously don’t know what else we can do. You got any suggestions?’

His eyes brightened and he said, ‘Get somethin’ to eat?’

Morning came and we had twenty-four hours left to find Irwin and prove that he was responsible for Wayne’s death. Also that he was involved in the kidnapping.

I took Jerry and the folder we had found to Jack Entratter’s office at the Sands. We told him how we had come by it, and what we thought it meant.

‘So,’ Entratter said, ‘it’s not finished. Even if Irwin didn’t plan the kidnapping, it’s obvious he was involved and has to pay. Frank isn’t gonna let anyone get off scot free.’

‘He ain’t gettin’ off free,’ Jerry said. ‘Mr G. and me are gonna find him.’

‘And we need to do it in the next twenty-four hours,’ I said, ‘or Jerry and I will be behind bars.’

‘Well,’ Entratter said, ‘you ain’t gonna find him sittin’ here. Let me know if there’s anythin’ I can do to help.’

‘Keep your lawyer on call, Jack,’ I said. ‘He may have to get us outta jail.’

‘You got it.’

We left Entratter’s office, took the elevator down to the hotel lobby, where I stopped dead.

‘What is it, Mr G.?’

I stared at him for a moment, then said, ‘I don’t know where to go next, Jerry.’

‘We could go sit on his storage unit,’ Jerry said.

‘Danny’s already got a guy on it,’ I said. ‘What’s the point of the three of us there?’

‘So is there any place else we can look?’

‘I figured with all the stops we made we would have gotten a call by now,’ I said. ‘We’ve got less than a day.’

‘You really think Hargrove would be that much of a dick?’

‘Oh yeah,’ I said, ‘I do.’

‘Maybe we should do some more drivin’ around, then,’ Jerry said.

A bellman came walking over.

‘Mr Gianelli, hotel operator’s got a call for you. They won’t hang up until we find you.’

‘OK, thanks,’ I said. ‘I’ll get it on a house phone.’

‘Yes, sir.’

I took Jerry over to a bank of phones and picked one up.

‘Operator, it’s Eddie Gianelli. You have a call for me?’

‘Yes, sir, I’ll put it through.’

I waited only a few seconds and then a girl said, ‘Eddie? It’s Darla.’

‘Hey, Darla,’ I said, raising my eyebrows at Jerry. ‘We were just talkin’ about you.’

‘Good things I hope, love,’ she said.

‘Only the best. You got somethin’ for me?’

‘I’ve got a location where your guy might be hidin’ out,’ she said.

‘Where’d you get this info?’

‘I put the word out on the street, same as you. One of my people got back to me.’

‘OK,’ I said. ‘So where is this place?’

‘Out in the desert.’

‘The desert’s a big place, hon.’

‘Well,’ she said, ‘the exact location is gonna cost ya, Eddie.’